Discussion points: Centenaries in Practice
In workshop 3 we are concerned with Centenaries in Practice; thinking about present centenaries in light of previous centenaries we have encountered and discussed in these workshops.
OWNERSHIP:
Who ‘owns’ the preparations for a centenary?
Eyewitnesses, descendants, ‘fans’/hobbyists, mainstream media, historians, heritage institutions, non-specialists?
For whom do organising committees etc. claim to speak?
Whose voices are the most legitimate?… and the least?
Who ‘owns’ #WW1 ?
DIS–OWNERSHIP:
What message does it send to distance yourself or your institution from a centenary?
Are eyewitnesses empowered to disown or publicly reject the messages about centenaries that they encounter in the mainstream? What if they do not recognise themselves in the testimonials that are offered up?
Is it conceivable that an organisation would decide to do nothing for #WW1? What would be the consequences?
AUDIENCE:
How important is it that a centenary should have an ‘audience’?
Does it matter whether that audience is interested in commemoration, celebration or opportunities for commercialisation?
Can we ever distinguish between these for certain?
Why and how do audiences engage so deeply with eyewitnesses? Do we know what this does for their understanding? What if there are no eyewitnesses?
GLOBAL:
Is the centenary an increasingly International phenomenon?
Does a centenary look and feel very different in other countries?
What will #WW1 look like in different contexts? Will the images, symbols, sites and tone differ?
MEDIA:
If ‘the predictability of centenaries is a godsend to the media’ (Roland Quinault on the blog) do the mainstream media use that to their advantage?
Are they creative enough in their programming? What might we like them to do differently? What do we expect of them in 2014?
Are social media spaces opening up as dynamic new sites of commemoration? Or is their impact yet to be seen? Who ‘likes’ a centenary in Facebook and on what basis?
If we carried out a sentiment analysis on #WW1 tweets next year, what would we find?
SUSTAINABILITY:
What happens at the end of a centenary?
What remains? What legacy does it leave? What is it that we actually expect to happen or change as a result of a centenary?
Does it matter if it fades into obscurity? To whom?
Must we have ‘learned something’ at the end of it all?
Is this all part of a ‘natural commemorative cycle’? If so, how is that characterised? See if you can draw or chart it in your group.
thecentenary.wordpress.com 